10 Reasons Why You Should Use Grid In Logo Design
Here are some reasons you should also use grids for logo designs!
Created by Henrique Praxedes | https://www.behance.net/gallery/145176659/Slender-group
The logo is a complex piece that comes with varying elements and meaning in every nudge of it. In many ways, people will see it as a piece of design that represents the brand and company image. Thus, making it more vital in the business function. Since the grid is beneficial, it is best to work and make the utmost logo design.
Among the varying tips and ideas, the grid is knowns as one of the best tools to use during the design process. What kind of design tool is it? Grid is very familiar with the design and construction industry. It works as a guideline, guide, and liner that help develop the imagery.
The use of the grid system itself is not a new thing. Using the system to work with logo creation should come with many benefits. It can turn into an extreme function that helps render the best size, scale, and composition of the logo design. What are the benefits and reasons to use one? Here are the details.
Created by Davor Butorac | https://www.behance.net/gallery/87704149/Logos-Grids
What Is A Logo Design Grid?
Grid, in general, is a tool that is mostly used in design to help create more balanced shapes and geometric harmony. Due to its importance in the creation process, logo creators and many creative industries tend to use the tool to help bring a better organization and configuration. It is particularly functional for logo design since it can provide a guideline.
As the name says, the grid appears as a construction guide with its lining. Sometimes the shape and the model depend on how the creator uses or needs the grid line used. More often than others, logo grids are often used in the form of square dynamical and balanced guidelines. However, it can also appear as circular grids to create a unique system.
The guide itself is a tool that is supposed to be the invisible line for varying factors. Those factors can include the spacing between elements, the lines for height, whitespace, symmetric shapes, scaling, or focus. Sometimes the use of a grid on a logo or design comes with a mathematical approach, which later helps maximize the placement function of space.
Created by Walter Mattos | https://www.behance.net/gallery/146701123/Selected-Logos-Grids-Vol-02
1. Help Organize The Work Process
Design organization would be one of the best benefits and reasons for using a grid. The logo is a very complex work, which can appear as a small object but has a bigger meaning. With that in mind, the use of a grid help intertwines every logo and design attribute into a clean, neat, ordered, and aligned visually.
Generally, the grid is a big part of the design process. It works as a guideline on how the system and the logo design will appear. The line system will create a lining that allows every attribute to align against. By doing so, every part can stay in a clean and neat-looking array. It helps, especially if the logo comes with varying different parts.
Take an example of how many logo designs come with the icon, name, and tagline. The use of grids in the design help create an invisible guide of baseline and border to the arrangement. By using the guide, the creator can use the aligning function to make sure the works are aligned properly. Rather than imagining the position, using this tool is the best suitable solution.
Created by Bohdan Harbaruk | https://dribbble.com/shots/18048542-Dash-Logo-Concept-For-SALE
2. Establish Focus
Take a look at Apple's logo as an example of the great use of grid and focus. The simple and timeless design highlights a small bitten part on the apple and a slightly leaned leaf. Those aspects make the logo a focus and memorable aspect. Despite its simple and less complex work, the project has a classic composition that showcases a focus.
Regarding focus, that is a great use of a grid in the composition. When applying a simple square grid system, you can say that the iconic logo design alters the upper right position where the bite and leaves appear. This is something that can be fully done and properly planned with the square system.
However, there is also a great finding that the circular grid system also looks especially unique on the apple shape. Almost every part of the design comes with soft angles, creating a seamless model. However, with the bite and leave the circular grids to have disruption. Thus, creating a definite impact that helps accentuate the part of the logo design.
Created by initial. Key | https://www.behance.net/gallery/137162619/penguin-logo-grids
3. Generate Visual Hierarchy And Harmony
Along with the focus, you can also work better with the help of visual hierarchy in the logo. Most people do not understand the hierarchy and only associate the idea with a text block. Unfortunately, almost every part of a design project will use a hierarchy to indicate the main focus, points, and information.
Considering the logo has a rather small model but more complex meaning, hierarchy takes a huge role in the creation. The grid system helps a lot in the making of logo design because some styles come out with more than just one graphic element, such as the icon, company name, and tagline.
In the creative industry, providing hierarchy and harmony helps guide the viewer's eyes to find the more important information. For a logo, the main focus and details should be the icon or the imagery. That is the reason many designs will have a bigger icon compared to the name and its tagline. But it does not mean that every creator can simply make the size difference.
Created by mase | https://dribbble.com/shots/16353066--ADW
This is where the grid system takes place. Designers can use the guide tool to make a proper scaling for every element of the logo design. It is easier to do and make the hierarchy thanks to the help of the guideline. You don't need to measure every size or scale; you only need to consider the grid to make a proper hierarchy.
The easiest way to explain how the grid system affects hierarchy, scale, and size is the use of ratio. Take an example of half height for the tagline, a full single grid height for the name, and three heights for the icon. It makes an easy 3:1:0.5 ratio for icon, name, and tagline. It is easier to do with a grid compared to when you are working with real sizing or scaling.
Using the ratio also makes sure that every audience can pay attention to the icon as it is the biggest. It highlights that the icon is the main representation of the company, which makes the other logo design style possible. Such as the only icon version model. In other words, using the system helps make you better and faster use of portions and ratios in the design.
Created by Patrick Tuell | https://dribbble.com/shots/15142686-MK-Monogram-Grid
4. Balancing The Design
The good reason for using the grid is to properly put the balance on the work. Logo design mostly focuses on creating an icon or imagery. In one way or another, the imagery can overwhelm other elements or attributes. Take an example of the name and the tagline. In this case, the guideline showcases and pinpoints the proper balance in work.
The key shows and tells how big you should put every element to make a balance. It is similar to hierarchy. But when the hierarchy is not properly calculated, the design will fall apart as unbalanced imagery. Imagine an overly big icon compared to the company name or tagline. It will only mess up the scaling and focus.
Created by Daniel Rotter | https://dribbble.com/shots/15036649-DH-Logo-grid
In design and creative works, the use of balance helps maintain focus and attraction. It works in many projects, including on the document layout or page and text adjustment. You can see how magazines put grids to accentuate certain information for highlight. It is similar to newspapers, where the system helps compose the text into a more readable visual.
In its uses on logo design, grid systems can bring more functions on scaling and sizing. It works as a constricting aspect, which helps create more flexible works. The flexibility aspect refers to the varying ways to use the models, such as on the smartphone display, print, web, or other functions. With good grids in use, it is easier to make adjustments for different uses.
Created by The Monochromatic Institute | https://dribbble.com/shots/17120284-Grid-construction-for-the-Kudos-mark
5. Create Symmetrical Or Asymmetrical Design
Symmetrical and asymmetrical art has a huge association with the grid system. It is similar to balance, where logo design needs consistency. Designers can use the columns as a measurement of the asymmetrical or symmetrical layout. When used properly, the system makes the creation process easier and prevents a chance of overpowering the others.
In many cases, a symmetrical grid is pretty common and used in varying projects. It focuses on using the same sized block of imagery as a restriction and sizing idea. But the ideation of using asymmetrical design was also compiled better with the help of this tool. It prevents a cluttered look thanks to its ability to align and perfectly work with the positioning.
Created by Md. Imran Hossain | https://www.behance.net/gallery/137516065/Exhosser-Logo-design
6. Define The Space Around
Another good reason to use the system or tool is how it turns into a scaling or measuring item. In many cases, logo design comes with the most unexpected shaping. Thus creating it harder to determine the space around the area or the safe area. In design, not understanding and fully utilizing the surrounding space is a big loss.
In the logo, utilizing the space around the area is a key to making the work stand out, understandable, and readable. That is why referring to the circular lines or the rectangular spacing help define the real space around the work. It means the safe area is clear, proper, and balanced.
Created by Patrick Tuell | https://dribbble.com/shots/16857669-Austin-from-Austin-Logo-Grid
7. Determine negative space
Similar to the surrounding space, you can also find how the grid helps create and define the best negative space for logo design. Negative space can appear between elements in the design, such as between the letter, icon, or shapes. Grid works as a restrictor and also as a scaling tool. Thus, you can use the system to measure the space.
Why do you need that? Since logos can appear in different sizes and functions, it is best to pay attention and work with negative space. Work that compiles a great negative space comes with its benefits, and it helps compose a better and clearer art. Some also use the negative space as another way to create a unique visual aspect for the logo design.
In general, negative space is a great essence in almost every design project and model. It can turn into a determiner of whether the imagery is visible and clear or not. At one point, negative logo space offers better functionality and purpose as a guideline in working with different scales or sizes.
Created by Alen Pavlovic | https://dribbble.com/shots/18369332-Lady-Bell
8. Help Working With Type
Type or text is one of the elements you can find in a logo, either as the icon or as the company name or tagline. It happens that many projects with text in them will need proper use of a grid system. All goes to the fact that font can easily lose its readability without proper spacing in between the characters.
The spacing itself is not only between characters but also between different elements. In logos, you should pay attention to how the text is visible or not. All goes to the fact that you make a logo design to introduce, represent, and market a certain product. Without a good readability aspect, your logo will mean nothing.
Grid systems between letters, paragraphs, or sections are something you can find in many text-heavy projects. Magazines, brochures, and newspapers put great use of the grid to ensure people can follow and read the information better. Despite the lack of text, you can also use the same method to create a comprehensible logo design.
Created by Lucas Galvão | https://www.behance.net/gallery/144906863/Ciaco-Ferro-e-Aco
9. Speed Up The Logo Design Delivery
Working quicker is a great advantage of using a grid system. The system helps improve the design process efficiency in many ways, including how you should arrange, combine, align, and measure the logo elements. With the extra help of the software's feature in snapping or aligning to the grid, the process will be easier.
You don't need to measure and manually make a line to ensure every attribute on the logo design is in the best position. Grids help you put everything in position, place, and scales perfectly and quickly. The snapping tools also make it stay in the right position, bringing the best composition without disrupting the sense of natural work.
In many cases, it is best to say that the system works as a foundation. It is similar to how a blueprint works, where the designer or house builder can ensure everything is in the right place, size, and condition. With everything automated, it works to build up and work faster, especially for logo creation that comes with some other elements.
Created by Davor Butorac | https://dribbble.com/shots/16149423-Xtreme
10. Working with the rule of third
It is not a surprise that the tools help you adjust the logo design to fit the famous rule of the third method. The rule of third is very common in the photography industry, in which they divide the design into a series of even horizontal and vertical lines. The intersections are where the focal point should be, which is mathematically known as the pleasing point.
With a grid system, you can implement the idea of creating the logo. You put the main focal point in the intersection. Take an example of 3x3 rectangle grids. One of the intersections should be the focal point. It works like a wonder, similar to how Apple's logo has its bite marks on the upper right side of the screen, not in the middle.
Created by alesha design | https://dribbble.com/shots/16088513-PJR-Logo-Design
Final Words
Grids are a touchy and vital subject in a lot of creative work. That is why many creators debate on how important and how to correctly use the grids for the job. In the case of a logo, the design aid is more than just a balancer and guide. It is more like an object that enforces the works to make a better and balanced model.
That is why logo design creators use grids to help lessen the pain and quicken the process of making one. It can turn into a very beneficial aspect in the process, considering it helps create or define many factors. It helps balance the design, the logo style, and the visual hierarchy and focuses on extra impact. There are many things that it can give.
Created by Gennady Savinov | https://dribbble.com/shots/14631858-Modern-House-Logo
However, the uses depend on the designer's technique and skills. For some people, it helps and creates a better idea of creation. It can represent and aid in creating a balanced logo design with proper aspects. It more or less is the design tools or system, which is also a very significant aspect of photography or text layout.
Should you get grids when working with logos? Considering how vital a logo is, using the design rules and helper can be a great addition at work. It provides aids in many ways, which designers can consider when creating projects. While it is not fully necessary, one should try and get the ideation of using the help. After that, you can pick whether to use it or not in the future.
